Rapist with keys to all guesthouse rooms jailed

A maintenance man who raped and sexually assaulted vulnerable women staying in a guesthouse has been jailed for 25 years.

Ricky Lee, 65, had keys to every room at Eastfield Guesthouse, in Eastfield Road, Peterborough, where his victims - including some with drink and drug addictions - had been housed.

In 2022, he raped one woman twice within hours of her being placed at the property by a local authority, police said.

Lee, of Eastfield Road, Peterborough, denied two charges of rape and four of sexual assault, but was found guilty by a jury at Cambridge Crown Court.

Cambridgeshire Police said Lee had himself been placed at the guesthouse and, after his time there ran out, had become a handyman, doing odd jobs in return for lodgings in a caravan outside.

Sentencing him on Friday, Judge Andrew Hurst said: "It is inconceivable management gave you the responsibility they did, especially access to vulnerable people.

"An extended sentence is appropriate to keep the public safe."

Det Ch Insp Amerjit Singh, said: "Lee exploited vulnerable women believing he could get away with it because they had dependency issues.

"He used threats of violence to silence them, ensuring most were too scared to report what had happened.

"Our investigation into the rapes led officers to discover there were several victims of sexual harassment and assault who had never reported what they had endured.

"This sentence reflects the seriousness of the crimes and I hope that reassures women."

Lee was also issued with an indefinite sexual harm prevention order, alongside a requirement to register with police in accordance with the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

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